Performance increases in advanced computer and data communication systems are limited by constraints of electrical interconnections of system components. Such limitations become more serious as demanded data rates increase from a range of millions of bits per second to a range of billions of bits per second.
Optical interconnection technology provides a high data bandwidth to satisfy the demand for such increased data rates. Despite the high data bandwidth of optical interconnection technology, one of the main obstacles to its commercial acceptance is the high cost of packaging optical components. For example, active manual alignment of an optical fiber with a laser in an optical package is time consuming and labor intensive, which adds to the cost of the optical package. Furthermore the time and labor needed limit high volume production of optical components.
What is needed is a method and apparatus for automatic passive alignment of optical waveguides with photonic devices that provides for high volume production of optical components at low cost.